CHRISTINA JOHNSON Artist in Residence
Born in Vienna, Austria, Christina began her dance education at age seven. She trained at the Boston School of Ballet, the School of American Ballet and the Dance Theatre of Harlem. By the time she was seventeen she began her professional career. She was a member of the Boston Ballet for two years before joining the Dance Theatre of Harlem, where she rose to become a principal dancer within four years. In her 13-year tenure with DTH she danced leading roles in much of the company’s repertoire, including Swan Lake, Giselle, Firebird, Voluntaries, Prodigal Son, Serenade, The Four Temperaments and Fancy Free. Christina has worked with distinguished choreographers and coaches, among them, Jerome Robbins, Frederic Franklin, Suzanne Farrell, Allegra Kent and Sir Anthony Dowell. She also has had original works created on her by Glen Tetley, Rui Horta, Alonzo King and Dwight Rhoden among others. She was a member of the Swiss companies, Le Ballet du Grand Theatre de Geneve for five years and the Ballett Basel for two years, where her repertoire expanded to include works by William Forsythe, Jiri Kylian, James Kudelka, Ohad Naharin, Jean-Christophe Maillot, Twyla Tharp, Amanda Miller and David Parsons to name a few. Christina has been a featured guest artist with various companies worldwide, including the renowned Royal Ballet of London. She is an original member of Complexions Contemporary Ballet. Christina made her Broadway debut in The Red Shoes. She is also featured in The African Americans, a book which portrays accomplished African Americans in various fields.
After her performance career Christina has been sought after as a teacher, coach and ballet master, and has worked with companies and schools such as the Pacific Northwest Ballet, Boston Ballet, Washington Ballet, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, Joffrey Ballet, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Dance Theatre of Harlem, Pennsylvania Ballet, Complexions Contemporary Ballet, Ballet Hispanico, North Carolina Dance Theatre, Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet, Spectrum Dance Theater, Gotesborg Ballett, Ballett Basel, Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo, Armitage Gone! Dance, Cornish College of the Arts and the University of Washington to name a few. In addition, she assisted Frederic Franklin with the re-staging of Giselle for the Joffrey Ballet, and also assisted choreographers Dwight Rhoden, Nicolo Fonte, Trey McIntyre and Karole Armitage in creating world premieres. Christina held the position of Rehearsal Director for Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet, Armitage Gone! Dance, Trey McIntyre Project. She is currently the Rehearsal Director for Complexions Contemporary Ballet.
Christina holds a MFA in Dance from Hollins University in collaboration with the American Dance Festival, The Forsythe Company and Frankfurt University of Music and Performing Arts in Germany. She is a certified Life Coach and marathon runner, and speaks French and German.